Electrical contact.



H. J. WIEGAND.

ELECTRICAL CONTACT. v APPLICATION FILED AUG. s, 1911.

1,991,875. Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Hanns' a. muisarm, or maintenance, Wisconsin, y .as-arance. ao' 'mais'curling Hamann tarta. co., en aarnwattnn wisconsin, a. consomation orwtsconsni. i

enactment cateraar.

To ail whom 'it may concern Be it known that l, HENRY J. lViEGANn,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Electrical Conta'cts, of which the following is a full,clear, concise, andv exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, forming a partl of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electrical contacts.

It is ,one of the objects of my invent-ion to provide a contact ofsimple and inexpensive construction especially adapted for use indevices where plastic compositions are employed for embedding orincasing parts ofthe device, the contact to be firmly secured inposit-ion by the plastic material.

`Various other objects and advantages of my invention will behereinafter clearly yand fullyy set forth.

, For the purpose of clearly and fully setting forth the nature andcharacteristic features of my invention. I shall describe the embodimentthereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing. It should be understoodhowever, that my invention is not liniited to the specific form thereofillustrated,

but is susceptible of modification and of use in various differentrelations from that illustrated.

In the accompanying drawi1ig:-Figuie l shows a side view of a contactbutton and illustrates one method of. mounting the same. Fig. 2' shows aplurality of buttons in top plan similar to the one shown in Fig. 1arranged on an arc. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views on lines 3 3y andlt-Jl re- .for the contact button and if formed by means of a die.insures a uniformity of the buttons thus produced withoutthe necessityof any trimming or special finishing of the edges of the material used;At diametrically opposite points the ange 3 is providspeeiaeatioa ofLetters raient.

ed with downward] extending flugs or. prongs 4f and 5 suita le forsecuring or at' least partially securing the button to a suitable base.0f course in practice these llugs,

mightbe of variousdiferent forms andy provided in anydesired numbers andat any desired pointson the flange. Also provided at dlametricallyopposite points on the flange 3 are angular upwardly extending` lugs 6and Tfor facilitating the connection of the button in circuit. Inpractice the tip-turned lugs might of-coursebe of any preferred form andprovided in any desired numbers and at any desired pointsl on theVperiphery of the flange. However, where the contact buttons are to bearranged on an arc as .illustrated in Fig. 2, lfprefer to Patented atar.ai,"`iefiji.g.; .application titled .august 3, 19H. Ikmaintien. Mgmt. l'y form both sets of lugs in close proximity as y shown to enable thebuttons to placed y,

llith the two setsv of" in close prtntimity.`

lugs in close proximity. it is obvious that" the buttons may be placedin very close proximity' without interference of the up-r turned lugswith the up'-tu'rned'lug's of adjacent buttons, or with thev adjacentbuttons-l themselves. Whereas if the t-wo sets of lugs were spaced. farapart the buttons would obviously have to be spaced accordingly.

A. button of the type .illustrated may be formed in a very simple andaccurate inannei; and at a low cost by stamping or punching the samefrom sheet metal, only a single operation being required to produce thecomplete device.

Such a button as that illustrated is very desirable and advantageous foruse in rheostats where the resistance elements are embedded in a'plastic insulating.compounth as for example cement. It is this use orapplication of the contact button that have shown in Figi which shows insection a portion of an insulating base 8 with a cement filling 9,embedding a resistance unit l0. The lugs 4; and 5 of the contact buttonare shown as projecting into recesses provided in the base 8. Theengagement ofthe lugs l and 5 with the base 8 in this manner insuresretention of the button in the proper position upon the base during andafter the application' of the cement filling t). Also these lugs preventthe contact button from turning. The flange 3 rests directly upon theupper surface of the base 8. thereby providing a substantial and. lirmseat for the button and' at the same time provides l a substantialsurface againstwhich the cement may be packed to'anchor the button .inplace. The lug 7 to which the resistance 10 'is connected .also vformsan additional 5 means for anchoring the button in place.4

It will thus be seen that in this application of the contact button nospecial fasten- .ing-means whatever' is required. The button'is firmlysecured in place .by its lugs and by the material utilized for embedding'the resistance. yAs above stated, however, the

'- buttons might be-used in various other relations than thatillustrated.

' AHaving thus described my invention, what 'I claim asy newl and desireto obtain by LetrsPatent is: j

1. A sheet metal contact comprising in `oss section. a substantiallyinverted U' haped member provided at its base on opi v ing portions. j2. A sheet metal contact of a substantially -inverted U-shapein crosssection and provided with one or morev laterally extending portions for'engagement with 'asuitable "'-base and one or more'u'pwardly extendinglugs for electrical connection. b 3. A4 sheet metal contact having aflat ase, and lugs extending downwardly' and upwardly from said base,the former for engagement with. a suitable support and the latter forelectrical connection.

4. A contact comprising a hollow elongated body portion, provided atits= base A ljecting into said posite sides'thereof with laterallyprojectf,

a contact portion raised from 'said base y With'ai'a. anguiariy disposedannularflange,l

contacts to be placed in close proximity.

5. In combination, a base, a sheet metal i contact havin-g portionsprojecting into said base, a plastic composition surrounding saidcontact and adhering to said bat-c, said'contact also having laterallyextending portions projecting therefrom into said plastic coin-gposition. l

6. In combination, a base, -a substantially cylindrical sheet metalcontact resting on and upon said base, a plastic compositionsurroundingvsaid contact and adhering to said base, said contact havingportions proplastic composition and into said'base. 7. In combination, abase, a plasticbody adhering thereto, lan elongated contact rest.

ing onend upon the surface of said base, all but the upper extremity ofsaid contact being embedded in said plastic body, said contact having'portions projecting therefrom into said plastic body and port-ionsprojecting into said base.

'In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

HENRY J. VIEGAND. lVit-n'esses:

A. HALVERsoN, M. R. FENNO.

